Where You Belong
by butterfly-pieces
Summary: Sarah has been living in the real world as a real person, where she has a life, a job, real friends and a fiancee. But it takes the visit of one person to remind her which is fantasy, which is reality, and in which she belongs.


Her wedding is two days away and she can barely believe it. She's actually getting married.

It seems like just yesterday, her mind was filled with fairy tales, stories, novels and...the labyrinth.

Sometimes, she wonders if it ever happened – if, maybe, it was all a dream. But what about the times when they traveled into her world? Hoggle, Sir Didymus, Ludo; they'd be in her room, all laughs and bouncing around. Perhaps they were part of a daydream.

After a while, she stopped seeing them – too busy with homework, chores, summer jobs and boys. Then, after that, she stopped trying to remember them.

She just, stopped, though her mind always wondered back to the Goblin King. Now, more than ever, she's thought of him, though she has tried to let it go, with little results.

It's been years since then and she's actually gotten into acting – just a couple of commercials and some plays; it's how she met Russell. He's a sweet man, makes her laugh, very bright and he makes her feel...safe.

Just what love should be...shouldn't it? Not some adventure or dream or fairytale with promises that turn into lies, false directions and attempted murder.

Yes, it's decided, this is what love should be, in the real world.

She's walking down to the pastry shop, just to check on the progress of their wedding cake, when she waits for the "walk" sign to tell her to go. She walks when its her turn, hand on the strap of her purse, the other hand inside her coat's pocket, but she pauses when she looks to her right and sees _him_.

The resemblance is unmistakeable.

He's on the other side of the road, but she knows that face – she _knows_.

The sound of honking cars to her left cause her to jump away from the noise and, when she looks to her right, he's no longer there. She sprints towards the sidewalk and searches for him, but he's gone.

She swallows, wondering if it's just pre-wedding jitters, and continues to walk ahead to the pastry shop.

She's feeling better by noon, after having seen the cake in all its wonder, and decides to stop at a coffee shop for a sandwich. It's an unusually quiet day and she's enjoying it. She would've brought a friend but most of them are at work and, well, Russell works, too. The good thing about being a struggling actress, you have a lot of free time when you're not working on something and, right now, she's too busy with the wedding to hunt for auditions.

She's sipping on her coffee, picking pieces from the croissant, when she sees him across the room and nearly slams the coffee on the table. Someone walks in front of him and she tries to see around the man, to not lose _him_, but once the man passes, he is gone, no longer there.

She frowns as she looks down at the coffee and, for a moment, she's scared to look up.

What if he is there? What if he's real?

She jumps when she hears her cell and flips it open to see the familiar number of the tailor who's making the adjustments to her mom's wedding dress. Sarah loves the dress but, of course, their bodies were built different and Sarah had an idea to make it fit her just right...like a fairytale princess of her own, even if she isn't – not anymore.

The tailor encourages her to try it on and Sarah almost doesn't – afraid she'd ruin it, break it or just, jinx it somehow. It's beautiful. The dress reminds her of snowflakes, glittering in the air, and it hugs her torso perfectly now, falling loosely below the waist but with a train that flows like a calm ocean shore. The veil, too, is special, adorning her head with a pearl-crown and she stares into the mirror, breathless.

"Oh, you look lovely, dear. Very pretty. Oh! I'll be right back," the tailor states after being called to the front of the store.

She's getting married, two days from now, and the man that she has not seen in many years – not since she was that girl who wished her stepbrother away – is standing behind her, next to the dressing rooms.

She swallows, wondering if she should turn around, but she doesn't. She settles for just staring at his reflection in awe. He fits into their world now. He's no longer dressed in that royal getup of his, with the tights and the cloak and the very big hair. But he still looks enchanting - even in a suit, his face is pure magic and his eyes...she can't stop staring at his eyes.

"Hello, Sarah."

He's not a mirage. He _can't _be. His voice makes the hairs on the back of her neck stand. A mirage couldn't do that.

"What are you doing here?" She manages to spit out.

"You called," he smiles, devious. "I came."

"No, I didn't," she says, defensively.

"Yes, you did," he laughs, and she remembers that laugh. A very cocky laugh. He hasn't changed.

"I didn't," she pushes, then frowns. "But if I did, then let me rescind that request. You can leave."

"I can," he nods, taking a step closer to her until he's standing on the circle with her, "but you don't want me to."

Her heart is beating faster the closer he gets and she doesn't care whether or not this is a dream. It's still dangerous either way.

"Jareth, don't do this."

"Do what, Sarah?" He asks, feigning innocence.

"Whatever it is you're trying to do," she stares at him, hard. "I have a life now. I have friends, a career, someone that loves me-"

"-I love you-"

She ignores that with _some _difficulty, "Something that's real. My life is not make believe."

"I'm real, Sarah," and to prove his point, he moves behind her – careful to lift the train of the dress and shove his feet under it _just _right – and puts one arm around her waist, pulling her back to his chest. "I am very real."

"No, you're not," she closes her eyes, trying to pretend she doesn't feel his breath behind her. "I don't even know who you are."

"Yes, you do," he whispers in her ear. "You've always known. I am Jareth, the Goblin King, lord of the labyrinth, and you, Sarah, do not belong in this world. You belong with me, as my queen, in a world of wonder and lore."

"No," she shakes her head, trying to pry his hand off her stomach but all it leads to is him putting a hand over that one, keeping her trapped. "I'm not a child anymore, and you have no power over me." She hopes that'll make him go away.

It worked the last time.

It doesn't now.

His hold on her tightens, "I don't. This time it is you who has a power over me...and you want me here."

He turns her around, causing her to yelp, but the sound is drowned by his lips crushing hers.

"Miss?"

Sarah opens her eyes and sees the tailor staring at her with mild amusement and it takes Sarah two seconds to understand why. Jareth is no longer there so she probably thought Sarah was rehearsing for the actual wedding. It helps explain the blush on Sarah's cheeks...but not the glitter.

That was a gift from Jareth.

That night, she can't sleep, and having Russell's arms around her waist as they lie in bed reminds her of _him_.

Why couldn't he just remain forgotten? Another story in a fairytale book, some bad dream or a figment of her very active imagination.

Why now?

She sits up when she sees the white owl outside her window which makes very little sense because they're in the city and owls rarely ever fly around the block.

She knows what it means.

She can ignore it, pretend he's not there, pretend about everything or...she sneaks out of bed, reaching for her robe before she walks out of the room, into the living room and flips the light on.

He's _there_, sitting on the couch, elbow resting on the arm of it, as he gazes at her, drinks her in and smiles, "Do you still think you don't want me here?"

"Why are you here, Jareth," she asks, again, hoping this time he'll give her a real answer – one that makes sense.

"I told you," he stands, hands behind his back, "You called me here."

She decides to play along, "And why did I call you here?"

He smiles, walking around her, leaning in to whisper in her ear, "Don't you know?"

She's irritated now, "Stop it! I'm getting married, Jareth. In two days, I'll be someone's wife."

"I am aware of this," he acknowledges as he continues to walk in circles around her.

"Is that why you're here? To...stop me?"

He stops in front of her, his eyes smiling while his lips are not. "Is it?"

"That's not fair," she frowns at the fact that he keeps evading her questions that way.

That brings a soft chuckle from him, "Ah, yes, you still say that often." He reaches up to cup her cheek, caressing it with his thumb, "My Sarah. I am here because you called me here. I am here because, in two days, you will promise yourself to a man that you chose, that chose you, but that you do not love, not fully. I am here because you live in a world you were born in, but don't dream of or find comfort in. I am here because you can try to forget, you can try to pretend, but I will always live in your memory and you will always be in mine."

The room has gotten colder and she's hearing sounds – jingles, snickers and other _familiar _sounds – from things lurking in the shadows. She's keeping eye-contact, trying to see if there's any honesty in his words – if there ever was.

"I can't," she presses her hand over his and moves it away from her face, but he locks his fingers between hers, closing the distance between them now.

"You can," he touches his nose with hers, "It is your wish. Come with me, Sarah."

She shakes her head, closing her eyes, "You want me to be someone I'm not."

He's still holding her hand, but his other hand captures her chin in his hand, alarm causing her to open her eyes and look at him. "No," he's firm in his reply. "They want you to be someone you're not. That's why you act, why you find roles to play, because you only feel real when you're playing those parts than when you're simply you."

Her mouth is open in disbelief.

When did he get to know her so well?

When did they get to know each other so well?

"And you," she counters, trying to be angry, but not really feeling the rage. "You just want someone to rule beside you, someone else you can rule, someone to keep you company, to make your life interesting, to be your slave."

"Not just anyone, Sarah," he corrects with a smile. "Just you. You can pretend to be like them, to belong with them, to love them, but your mind will never rule over your heart."

She knows that, too.

"What if I say no?" Again. She's walking away, again.

"Then I'll disappear and the last you see of me will be when you take your last breath..." He frowns, letting go of her face and hand. "I cannot and will not stand by and watch you play out a role that does not suit you, with someone else...not when the real you deserves so much more."

"Then goodbye, Jareth." She steps away and she can see she's broken his heart, again. "I'm setting you free. You can stop waiting for me."

"Is this your final wish, Sarah?" He's actually asking, she can barely believe it, and she almost answers: _no, it isn't_. That he's right. That she's been running away from him, from them, once she felt how easily she could fit in – how easier it is to be normal, to not worry about her father asking who she was talking to or why she'd rather stay home, in her room, when every normal teenager would be going out with friends, to the movies or the mall.

She has been playing a role, feigning to love a world when, really, the real love is the one in her dreams – the one that is as real as her dreams.

"Yes," her answer is shaky, but slips from her tongue and he takes a step back, then another, and another, until she thinks he's going to bump his back into the wall.

"Goodbye, Sarah," he disappears into it instead, and she almost cries out, but covers her mouth with her hand, trying to stop the tears.

He's gone, and it's too late to call him back.

She _won't_.

On the eve of her wedding, she keeps looking for him, even at the rehearsal dinner, but he doesn't appear.

Her friends think something is wrong, Russell is almost convinced of it, and she can't explain to them what's wrong – not without being declared insane and, worse, hurting them.

How can you tell your friends, your fiancee, that your heart is aching to be somewhere else and that, until last night, you had managed to keep it silent of its desires but now...now it's _screaming_.

The day of the wedding arrives and she's waiting, in the room, for her maid of honor to arrive and tell her it's time.

She's staring into the full-length mirror, looking like a princess but feeling like anything but.

"Sarah?"

The reflection in the mirror shows a very old friend and she gasps.

"Hoggle!" She looks behind her, but sees he isn't there. When she looks back, he's not alone.

"My lady, you look beautiful." Sir Didymus says in admiration.

"Sarah," Ludo adds, "pretty."

"Thank you," she says, trying not to tear up and ruin her make up. "What are you guys doing here?"

Hoggle moves closer to her, "Jareth sent us...told us you were getting hitched and how we probably weren't gonna be seeing you after today."

"He insisted," Sir Didymus added, "in spite of our telling him that we had not seen you in years. He made it sound like you might be in danger."

_Damn you, Jareth_, she thinks.

"Sarah, safe," Ludo asks.

She nods, "Yes, I'm safe...I...I'm just busy, that's all."

"We understand," Hoggle says, with a slight sadness in his eyes, but he's smiling. "We're happy for you, Sarah, and if you ever need us, you can call for us."

"Can I?" She hadn't done it in such a long time...she sometimes wondered if she still could.

"Why, certainly! We would never abandon you, fair maiden!"

"Thank you," she smiles. "All of you."

"Sarah, it's almost time." Jess opens the door, clear excitement in her eyes. "Your dad's ready."

Sarah looks back at the mirror and sees they're gone. The ache is officially there. She hikes up her dress and Jess helps her with the train. As she's walking down a hall, she sees another mirror and pretends she's stopping to look at her reflection, but that's not what stops her.

_Jareth_.

"She can't hear you right now. You can tell me what you wish to tell me," Jareth advises.

Sarah looks back to see Jess frozen in time before looking back at the mirror, "I already said what I wanted to say."

"Very well," he turns to leave.

"Wait," she calls out, heart in her throat. "Will I ever see them again?"

"Yes, if you wish to," he answers, but doesn't turn. "Consider it...a wedding gift." He chuckles, "the only one you will allow me."

"Will...will I ever you see again?"

His answer comes too quickly for her liking, "No. Not until your final breath, Sarah."

When he leaves, she doesn't stop him and, as she walks to take her father's arm, she realizes, that when Jareth left – declaring their final goodbye – he took her heart with him.

Sarah looks into Russell's kind eyes as the priest says the words. She hears him say "I do" and she's trying to find her heart, to feel it beating in her ribcage, but it's not _there_. She's breathing, she has a pulse, but it's like the very thing that drove her emotions has been lost.

_You can pretend to be like them, to belong with them, to love them, but your mind will never rule over your heart._

"Sarah?"

Russell's grip on her hands tighten and she realizes the priest asked her a question - _the _question - and she's not answering.

She looks at the pews filled with family and friends.

She looks for him, but he's not there.

She looks down, searching for the words. "I...I...I..." She looks up and, suddenly, her heart begins to drum against her ribcage and everything overflows. "I wish the goblins would come and take me away, right now."

Before the priest, or Russell, can even ask about her odd answer, the glass windows shatter and everyone screams as gusts of wind fill the room. Everyone is covering themselves from the glass so no one is paying attention to the owl that just flew in, turning into a man, dressed in an outfit only she remembers – that only she doesn't find utterly ridiculous.

The goblins are running around, too, making some of the people who notice scream.

"Sarah," he offers his hand to her, gloved, and waiting.

She looks at Russell, who's staring at her, wide-eyed. "I'm sorry," she kisses his cheek before she walks towards Jareth, having found her heart again.

She takes his hand and he smiles, "You have called, I have come."

"What about them?" She frowns, looking as her parents stare at her, wide-eyed, and people are afraid to move, probably thinking this a very odd terrorist attack.

"They won't remember..." He smiles, producing a single crystal ball that turns into more and, within minutes, they're floating in the air, buzzing around the room. The glass is fixed, everyone is looking forward as Russell marries...well, someone that _isn't _Sarah.

"What have you done?" She stares in wonder as even her parents observe the ceremony and ignore them. Only Toby is looking at her with a smile and waves, like he knows something she doesn't – something he's known all along, but hasn't said.

"I have given them someone who is not real, much like you have been, so that you can disappear from their lives and give yourself to something that is real." He smiles, pulling her to him, "Now, come, lets go home."

Her smile is scared, but it is there, in her heart, as she repeats, "Home."


End file.
